


The Night

by ADanceWithTheDevil



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 12:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADanceWithTheDevil/pseuds/ADanceWithTheDevil
Summary: The last time she was in the Village of the Leaf she vanished without a trace. But why now? And what for? These are questions that need answers.





	The Night

_non timebis nocte_

Squinting against the sunlight peeking through heavy foliage she paused. Considering. The forest was a jungle of heavy overgrowth and thin trails cut here and there by the continual travel of animals. Oak and chestnut trees loomed overhead. A dozen or so poplars, warped and bent beneath the strangling weight of purple-flowered ivy.

She frowned.

The old man she had encountered the day before yesterday had said if she continued north she'd reach her destination in two days. She hadn't necessarily trusted him. She didn't trust many people now. And he had likely thought she'd stick to the main road.

Traveling along the main road would have, in a way, made more sense. She was a woman traveling by herself. A young woman. She may not be dressed in finery but the clothes she wore were of good quality, a heavy fabric meant to withstand the wear and tear of travel. Better than the thread thin clothing of some.

But then traveling along the road carried dangers. She would get people questioning her. Questions she did have the answers to. Or did not want to answer. And on the main road it wouldn't just be other travelers, farmers with their animals, or merchants on their way to sell goods who would see she was traveling alone.

So when the road the old man had pointed out had curved to the right and then back to the left she hadn't followed it. Instead, she had kept walking to the right. To the north. She had cut across a small creek and then a plowed farmer's field before reaching the forest that loomed along its perimeter.

Only there had she hesitated, taking in the sight and sounds of the old forest. From the edge she had only been capable of seeing a dozen or so feet before the shadows became too thick. One step had led to another until the shadows swallowed her too.

And yet, woods carried their own dangers.

She knew somewhere in the gloom of the forest, hidden within the play of weak light and long shadows, a predator or two lurked. She had seen the tracks around the edge of her campsite early in the morning. Paws with four splayed toes, the indent of claws visible in the soft clay ground, nearly the size of her own hand.

If she stayed in the forest for too long whatever it, or they, were would gather the courage to approach the strange two-legged creature wandering through its territory. She would rather avoid the confrontation. Though she had shot and skinned a rabbit last night she preferred to leave this forest as it was, widely untouched by man.

A soft hoot interrupted her thoughts and her gaze drifted skywards. Above her a great horned owl returned her consideration with the slow blink of one large tawny eye. Then with a ruffling of its multi-hued feathers, as if reprimanding her for disturbing its slumber, it turned its head back beneath one wing.

Despite herself she could feel lips curve with amusement. It was far too early in the day for the winged hunter to be awake. But as her gaze lowered once again, she froze. Well, well what did she know.

It was faint but she could just catch the smell of wood smoke. A cabin? Or the village she sought?


End file.
